This invention relates to a composition for use as a friction or grip enhancing agent to be applied to the hands of athletes, and the like, who handle the tools of their activities and trades, and require that their grip be sure. The inventive friction or grip enhancing agent can also be used in household or commercial uses, including in the corrugation (boxing) and banking industries.
The gripping portion of tools and sporting equipment is generally made of hard materials that may become difficult to grasp when wetted, particularly by perspiration. In an attempt to improve the ability to grip such tools, therefore, various materials that can be applied to the hand or the implement to be gripped have been developed. For example, the rosin bag is a traditional piece of equipment generally being used both by a pitcher and a hitter in a ball game to make more certain of their grip on the ball and the bat, respectively. Similarly, tennis and golf players can require a light application of powdered rosin to their hands to aid in making their grips more certain. The fundamental disadvantages of such prior art compositions, however, is their lack of staying power, permanence and relatively poor effectiveness. Perspiration on the bare hands of an athlete, for example, can easily dislodge the rosin dust, which requires the frequent reapplication of rosin. To avoid these and analogous inherent drawbacks, the prior art describes different materials that purportedly improve gripping characteristics.
For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,565,023 and 5,364,464 to Sereboff et al. are illustrative of frictional grip enhancing compositions that comprise an inorganic powder, such as magnesium or calcium carbonate or magnesium silicate, and sawdust particles. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,572,690 to Savanuck relates to a gripping composition primarily comprising an inorganic oxide and minor amounts of an astringent, for example, aluminum chlorohydrate. Such compositions are taught for use in rosin bags.
In addition to the dry compositions described above, the prior art describes compositions in the form of a liquid, which are allowed to dry on the surface of the hands or the substrate to which the compositions are applied. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,886,089 to Knowlton relates to a grip and friction enhancement composition that comprises an aqueous mixture of a fluoroalkyl acrylate copolymer emulsion and a silicone polymer micro emulsion. The aqueous mixture described in this patent is applied to a surface, where it is allowed to dry into a film that is only a partially cross-linked fluoroalkyl copolymer. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,088 to Noebel relates to the application of a coating of hydrophobic silica particles onto one""s hands or onto athletic equipment where an improved grip is desired. Noebel teaches dispersing the hydrophobic silica particles in large amounts of a volatile solvent for use in an aerosol dispenser.
In addition to improved gripping compositions, the prior art further describes complete articles or systems for improving gripping characteristics. U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,171 to Constantinides, for example, is directed to a shear force modulation system which controls friction between the skin and an abrasive surface. The mechanical system disclosed in this patent comprises upper and lower pads and slides, with an elastic connector attaching the upper pad and the lower pad. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,612 to Dozier relates to an article for enhancing the grasping of an athletic implement grip. The article described in this reference comprises a carrier material that is impregnated with a tacky adhesive, such as ditridecylphthalate, and a thickener, such as polyethylene glycol fatty acid. A wetting agent, such as dodecyl benzene, may be added to the mixture of adhesive and thickener to facilitate impregnating mixture into the carrier. Problems associated with the tacky adhesive type of composition described in Dozier include transfer of the adhesive to unwanted surfaces, such as clothes, and the accumulation of dirt, grass, and the like on both the hands and the implement to be gripped.
To avoid the inherent drawbacks associated with prior art compositions not having a need for large amounts of solvent, or the use of cumbersome mechanical systems as discussed above, the present invention is directed to a friction and gripping composition comprising a dry powder which exhibits improved, friction, gripping, and staying power or retention properties.
According to the present invention, there is provided an improved friction and gripping composition in which the addition of a small amount of solvent to a mixture of a chlorinated paraffin and a dry dispersing agent, significantly improves the gripping properties of the composition over prior art compositions. A small amount of solvent, which comprises up to and including about 3.0% by weight relative to the total weight of the composition, has been shown to speed up and enhance the adsorption of the inventive composition on the hands, while not adversely affecting the free-flowing properties of the powder. The inventive composition not only results in the formation of a film exhibiting friction on the surface of the hands, but it leads to a film that has a sufficient durability to water, including perspiration, such that it can last for several hours during use in athletic events, for example. While one use for the inventive product is in the sporting or recreation field, it can also be used in household or commercial uses, such as in the corrugation or banking industries.